State pension age 'could rise to 70', report suggests

An analysis carried out by the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) has revealed that workers aged 30 and under may not receive a state pension until the age of 70.

The GAD has suggested that the state pension age could rise to 70 as soon as 2054.

Under existing legislation, the state pension age for those born after 1978 is set to rise to 68. Currently, the earliest age at which a woman can begin receiving a state pension is 63, whilst a man can start to receive a state pension at the age of 65.

By the end of 2018, the state pension age will have risen to 65 for both men and women.

The government is expected to address the rise in the cost of pensions, which is caused by longer life expectancy and therefore an increasing ratio of pensioners to workers.

Commenting on the issue, Steve Webb, the former Pensions Minister, said: ‘It is one thing asking people to work longer to make pensions affordable, but it is another to hike up pension ages.’